Carriage-top



(No Model.) f

J. DELINB. Carriage Top.

No. 236,002. Patented Dec. 28,1880.

N.PETEHS. FMOTOLPTNQGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D CV trice.

Arnwr JEREMIAHiDELINE, OF AKRON, OHIO.

CARRIAGE-TOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 236,002, dated December 28, 1880.

` Application ined october 12, raso. (Nummer.)

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEREMIAH DELINE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Buggy-Tops, of which lthe following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved means for admitting ofthe expansion and the contraction or collapsing of the top, and for securing the top eitherin an expanded or contracted condition, so that the top can be either expanded to its fullest extent in order to take up any slack in the covering occasioned by use, and then held in such expanded state as long as required, or that the top can be contracted to a certain extent and then held in 4 such condition, so as to prevent the bows from coming too closely together and injuring the covering. i

To such end my invention consists in the combination, with the central bow in a folding vehicle-top, of two outer bows pivoted to hinged brackets, with which the central bow is rigidly connected, and two pairs of brace-bars pivoted to the said outer'bows and connected by joints with movable sleeves arranged to slide longitudinally upon rods which are secured to the inner bow, all of which will be more fully described. e y

The invention also consists of other features, which willbe hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a section taken on a vertical plane through a buggy seat and top constructed in accordance with my improvement, the top raised and open. Fig. 2 is a side view with th`e VVtop down and closed. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken on the line x x, Fig. 1.

The letter A designates a buggy-seat, around the sides and back of which is extended the seat-rail B. This seat-rail is supported upon brackets C, secured to the sides and back of the seat; and in order to render the seatrail detachable from the brackets, the rail is provided with pins b, which are screw-threaded at their lower ends and passed down through holes inthe outer ends of the brackets up to shoulders b upon the pins, which said shoulders seat upon the upper sides of the outer bracket ends. Suitable taps, b2, are then itted upon the screw-threaded ends ot' the pins and tightened up either directly against the brackets or against washers interposed between the brackets and the taps. Each 'end of the seatra-il is provided with a block, B', which is formed with a mortise-opening at the top and the rear side of the block. The brackets D, which support the several bows of the buggytop, are hinged within these mortises of the blocks by means of pivots d, passing through the blocks and through tenons d ofthe brackets, which are lintroduced into said mortises. This arrangement otmortises, while admitting of the top being thrown back, prevents its falling forwardatter being raised, since the front walls of the mortises do not allow the brackets to be swung forward from a vertical position also, after the top has been raised, the under side of the body of each hinged bracket seats squarely upon the top of the block below it, so as to form a iirm connection between the two.

As herein illustrated, the bracket D is formed with a vertical mortise, e, in which a locking-pin, E, is arranged to slide, and the block to which the bracket is hinged is formed with an opening, e, to receive the lower end of the pin after the buggy-top has been raised by bringing its supporting-bracket into a vertical position.l A slot, F, formed through the side of the hinged bracket, opens into the mortise in which the locking-pin slides, and a setscrew, G, passes through the slot so as to eugage the pin, thereby providing a handle by means of which thevpin can be readily raised or lowered by the occupant of the vehicle, and also affording means for securing the lockingpin in its adjustment by simply turning the set-screw.

The central bow, H, of the buggy-top is either formed with or rigidly secured to the hinged bracket-s, while the remaining bows, I I, are pivoted at their lower extremities to arms d2 d2, which constitute a part of the hinged brackets, as herein illustrated. These bows 1 I are hence capable of being either swung toward or away from the centrally-arranged bow, in order to contract or expand the buggy-top; and in order to brace the top when expanded and limit the extent of its contraction or expansion, the following means are IOO provided: Upon the inner side of each vertical portion ot' the center bow, H, is secured a rail, K, which is arranged parallel to the length ot' suoli vertical portion ot' the bow,and set out therefrom at a distance suflicient to admit of the free movement ot' a sleeve upon the rail. This sleeve L, which is adapted to slide along upon the rail, is provided withtwo short arms, yi l, to which are pivoted the inner ends ot' links or brace-rods M M, the outer ends ot' these brace-rods being pivoted to the outer bows, l I, of the buggy-top. Hence, when the outer pivoted bows are closed toward thecentrallyarranged bow, the sleeve which is upon the rail will slide along the rail toward the hinged bracket with which the bows are connected, and when the bows are opened orswung away from the center bow the said sleeve will be moved along the rail toward the upper portion of the how. As such movements ot' the outer bows expand or contract the covering of the top, as the case may be, it is necessary that means should be provided for holding the top in an expanded state as long as required, and it is also very desirable that after the top has been closed or contracted to a certain tent it should be held at such limit and be prevented from further contraction in order to guard against the cutting or cracking of the covering by the bows, which, it' allowed to come too closely together, will inevitably damage the covering. To such end the sleeves which slide upon the rails are pref'crablyeach provided with a locking device, consisting, in the present instance, ot' a setscrew passing through the sleeve, so that by tightening up the set-screw it will act upon thc rail, and thus secure the sleeve against movement upon the rod. A veryimportant feature ot' this sleeve, with its locking device and its jointed connections with the outer bows, is that the top may always be expanded so as to take up the slack occasioned by use, and be maintained in such expanded condition so long as required.

It is evident that the character ot the locking devices for the slidable sleeve may be varied without departing from my inventionas, for instance, locking devices analogous in construction to the ordinary window sash holders might be employed.

lt is also apparent that other mechanical equivalents could be substituted for the locking-pin, which is arranged to slide through the hinged bracket D-as, forinstance, either the hinged brackets or the blocks supporting them may be provided with spring-catches arranged to engage in notches after the hinged brackets have been raised vertically; or,in lieu of such locking devices, setscrews or hinged brace-rods might be employed with like result.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. The combination, with the central bow in a folding vehicle-top, ot' two outer bows, l, pivoted to hinged brackets, with which the central bow is rigidly connected, and two pairs ot' brace-bars pivoted to the said outer bows, I, and connected by joints with movable sleeves arranged to slide longitiulinally upon rods which are secured to the inner bow, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the central bow, H, in a folding vehicle-top, ot' the two pivoted outer bows, I, sleeves arranged to slide upon rods which are secured to the straight portions ot` the bow H, and brace-rods connecting said sleeve with the outer bows, l, snbstan tially as described.

3. The combination, with the seatrail connected with the vehicleseat, ot blocks formed or secured upon the ends ot' said rail, and provided each with a inortise opening at the top and rear side ot the block, the brackets D, having tenons pivoted in the mortises of the said blocks, the locking-pins E, t'orlocking the brackets in an upright position, the center bow, H, ot the vehicle-top rigidly connected with the pivoted brackets, andthe onterbows, I, pivoted to the said brackets, substantially as described.

In testimony whercotl I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

J'EREMIAH DELINE.

Witnesses:

CIIALKER, S. Guess. 

